Luke Skywalker got all the glory. Biggs Darklighter, Luke's closest friend from home, got little recognition, his existence largely purged from the initial release of Star Wars and restored later at a bare minimum.

That oversight is corrected with Darklighter, the second volume of the Star Wars Empire series from Dark Horse. This book, which takes place in the months leading up to the attack by the Death Star on the Rebel base on Yavin 4, tells Biggs' story -- and quite a story it is.

Fans will remember that Biggs left Tatooine to attend the Imperial Academy and later turned up among the Rebel pilots; his death bought Luke time to fire the shot that took down the Death Star. But there's a lot more to it than that, and writer Paul Chadwick lets it all unfold at a brisk pace. You get to know the character well, respect his ideals and enjoy his company, and so his sacrifice at Yavin suddenly means more than it did before.

Coupled with bold art and a passable companion story, "The Short, Happy Life of Roons Sewell," Darklighter is a must-read book for fans of the original Star Wars universe.